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Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by FafnerMorell

I don't think it would have been unreasonable to have expected any surviving members of Ookoodook to send out an email "Sorry for the unexpected delays - we'll let you know when we resume shipping but right now we're shut down". But so far they've communicated nothing.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by Drolyt

They posted in this thread. I'd call that communication.

Err, not really. It's not communicated on their web site (which says that on 8/8 they're pretty much done).

Perhaps this is my fault for also ordering the live brown recluse spider and coral snake and insisting they be shipped in the same package as my book to save on shipping costs, but I can't imagine how this have had any impact on the unfortunate hospitalization of their sole envelope stuffer.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Ookoodook are dedicated, they were in at 9 AM on a Sunday morning, hard at work manning the phones and prepping orders. I know, I was on the phone with them. I can only say, it might take a little bit longer than originally expected, but it does get done, come printer failure, power cuts, medical emergencies and difficult customers like me ^^.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by FafnerMorell

I don't think it would have been unreasonable to have expected any surviving members of Ookoodook to send out an email "Sorry for the unexpected delays - we'll let you know when we resume shipping but right now we're shut down". But so far they've communicated nothing.

Well, except for all the communication which has been happening in this thread, and except for the fact that they demonstrably AREN'T shut down and resumed shipping pretty much immediately...

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Mine is also going to Europe so the race is on and you're only leading by a minute

Oh, you are SO on! Mine is about 2 hours later than yours, but the UK is closer

Originally Posted by FafnerMorell

I'm located in Houston, pre-ordered two books (one order was the week of the initial announcement and then about a month ago) and haven't received any - or even an email that they're being shipped. The status info posted on 8/1 "By now, many of you who pre-ordered have likely gotten your shipping emails, and the rest of you will be getting them over the course of this week." seems incorrect.

Definitely NOT impressed with the logistics on this.

Look on the bright side, all of our books are in your town.

Originally Posted by Sky_Schemer

Actually, what I am most upset about is that it took three emails to get someone to acknowledge the problem, and a fourth to find out what was being done about it.

Well, as people have said before, they needed to check if you were telling the truth about your lost book. Remember that this tracking system is code-based, so they have to find out by themselves where it went after the last place it was scanned. The time taken to do that is basically the same, and you just happen to have sent 3 emails in between.

What is more, once the book has been shipped, I don't think they have enough people to manually go look for lost books, so the best they could do is call someone and wait for that person to confirm that the address was wrong, and multiple layers of communication like that is bound to slow down the process.

Originally Posted by Sky_Schemer

All the little arguments people are using to defend Ookoodook in this situation would be fine excuses if there was just one hiccup here, but there are several: pre-ordering logistics, QA on shipping, responsiveness to email, thoroughness of those responses, and follow-through. Add this up and it becomes "shoddy service".

Yeah, it's a small company. But small does not have to mean sub-par.

Small company means small number of people working on several thousands of cases like yours. It's not that good of an excuse, but at least don't make it harder for them, or the rest of us, whom are quietly waiting for our books.

Last edited by M.A.D; 2011-08-15 at 08:34 PM.

"A good way to get a decent person to do something horrible is to convince them that they're not responsible for their actions" - Director Cedrik - OOTS #640

"Geez! You give a guy a crown and it goes straight to his head!''_ "Where else would a crown go?"

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Apegamer--

Maybe you might want to consider sending a email out specifically to the people who have the OOTs game in their order, and reassure them that they havent been forgotten...I'm pretty sure Im not the only one who is going to be pretty PO'd if i see a messageboard post/email saying all pre-orders have shipped, and mine isnt one of them. Id also predict your email inbox will get even more full at that point.

Given the comedy of errors surrounding this pre-order, I'm not sure you really have the confidence of your customers at this point. In other words, I think those of us who ordered additional product from you are concerned we arent going to get our books, because something else is going to get fouled up.

My concern is that if you are going to ship regular orders once the non-game pre-orders are done, some glitch in the system/human error/cthulu is going to oversell the regular orders, and the pre-orders with games are going to somehow get left out. Is this going to happen? I hope not. But the thought has crossed my mind

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by Grrw

Given the comedy of errors surrounding this pre-order, I'm not sure you really have the confidence of your customers at this point.

What comedy of errors? There have been precisely two problems that I can recall: firstly, having to change the printer causing the initial long delay in the book's release, and secondly, the shipping manager getting ill and having to go to hospital, causing delays in the shipping process. Call me Mr. Picky if you will, but I don't think either of those things is entirely under the control of Ookoodook.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

My UPS said that they sent out the book on the 10th of August. It didn't change even though I have received the book 3 hours ago. So for anyone whom are impatient about your book, have faith. Apparently, they won't scan the code when the book is in transit, but it doesn't mean that it's lost.

"A good way to get a decent person to do something horrible is to convince them that they're not responsible for their actions" - Director Cedrik - OOTS #640

"Geez! You give a guy a crown and it goes straight to his head!''_ "Where else would a crown go?"

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by factotum

What comedy of errors? There have been precisely two problems that I can recall: firstly, having to change the printer causing the initial long delay in the book's release, and secondly, the shipping manager getting ill and having to go to hospital, causing delays in the shipping process. Call me Mr. Picky if you will, but I don't think either of those things is entirely under the control of Ookoodook.

In all honesty, I have to agree with you. There was the initial delay and then the shipping manager's illness. Two happenstances a comedy of error does not make. A premise for a National Lampoon film involving Chevy Chase, maybe, but a comedy of errors? Surely not.

Also, to those worried about Houston... I checked my status the day before yesterday. Stuck in Houston. Today, I received my book. In prime condition. On the other side of the planet :) Have hope, y'all.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by M.A.D

Oh, you are SO on! Mine is about 2 hours later than yours, but the UK is closer

01/08/11 @ 20:19...

Originally Posted by M.A.D

My UPS said that they sent out the book on the 10th of August. It didn't change even though I have received the book 3 hours ago. So for anyone whom are impatient about your book, have faith. Apparently, they won't scan the code when the book is in transit, but it doesn't mean that it's lost.

at least i know they are getting to the UK... just a little while longer...

Last edited by Archonic Energy; 2011-08-16 at 08:48 AM.

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Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

For lucky folks like North_Ranger, MAD and FujinAkari, who have received shipping emails, they seem to make the assumption that everyone has received these shipping emails/tracking numbers - and this isn't true.

The explanation that "Well, some orders are complicated and have games in them which won't be available for weeks and thus aren't shipping" also doesn't address all the issues - there's no game or anything other than the book in my order.

I really didn't plan on making a major deal out of this, but since there seems to be a lot of confusion about the state of things, let's go through the timeline:

5/28/11: "I'm pretty confident that the book will be in people's hands before the end of June. One month later than expected, for which I apologize to everyone who has pre-ordered already."7/25/11: "They will leave the printer Wednesday night, July 27th, 2011, and arrive at Ookoodook's warehouse sometime between the 29th and August 1st. They will then begin shipping out to pre-order customers the same day, probably taking around ten days total to complete all outstanding orders"8/3/11: "In shipping news, Kevin from Ookoodook informs me that most (if not all) pre-orders will have shipped by this upcoming Saturday, three days ahead of his original ten-day estimate. So everyone who pre-ordered a book should thank him and his staff for their near-Herculean (Iolausan?) effort in getting everything out the door after the absurd production delays."8/8/11: "Dragon Tales Update: We think that Dragon Tales will be completely shipped by Friday, which puts us on track for hitting our original goal of finishing in two weeks. Many shipping emails still haven't been sent, so don't panic that you've not received yours."

So, I given that the expected shipping date of 6/30, was bumped to 8/11, pulled into 8/8, then bumped up to 8/12, but still not done by 8/16 - maybe it's not too shocking that some folks view this as being a bit messed up.

I can appreciate the desire to be optimistic in communications - they didn't have to announce that things might be ahead of schedule, and there's nothing that says "We will definitely meet date X or die trying". However, most of the communications lately have been "If you haven't recieved info, it's because you have a bad email address, or a complicated order" - and that's worrying when those justifications don't apply. So, what's going on if we haven't a shipping email (and we have a good email & simple order) - is this a problem that needs to be reported, or is it just things taking a bit longer than we were told?

That said - unexpected events happen, and I believe the folks at APE Games are working to get the books out. However, not all of us have received shipping emails (much less our books) yet. So folks assuring us that "Oh, just patiently on USPS wait as you clutch your shipping email" aren't exactly having the positive and supportive effect they may intend.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by FafnerMorell

For lucky folks like North_Ranger, MAD and FujinAkari, who have received shipping emails, they seem to make the assumption that everyone has received these shipping emails/tracking numbers - and this isn't true.

The preorders are not complete. ApeGamer said he would post when they were, and he hasn't. And the issue with the game isn't that it is complicated, it is that it won't be available for another couple weeks, so any orders including it can't ship until then. That said, it is true that there have been a lot of delays, and it has sucked, and everyone has a right to be frustrated. To me though the thing is that it isn't The Giant's fault or Apegame's fault. The largest delay was the fault of the printer, and the smaller delays were mostly them being overoptimistic about how long it would take. The only valid criticism I see is the lack of communication, but I've found it to be adequate.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by FafnerMorell

For lucky folks like North_Ranger, MAD and FujinAkari, who have received shipping emails, they seem to make the assumption that everyone has received these shipping emails/tracking numbers - and this isn't true.

What would possibly make you think I believed that? Did apegamer post that they were done somewhere? No?

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by FafnerMorell

That said - unexpected events happen, and I believe the folks at APE Games are working to get the books out. However, not all of us have received shipping emails (much less our books) yet. So folks assuring us that "Oh, just patiently on USPS wait as you clutch your shipping email" aren't exactly having the positive and supportive effect they may intend.

OK....
You're right. I apologise.
Maybe you should try sending an email them again today.... Put your order number in their and ask them to check your status..

"A good way to get a decent person to do something horrible is to convince them that they're not responsible for their actions" - Director Cedrik - OOTS #640

"Geez! You give a guy a crown and it goes straight to his head!''_ "Where else would a crown go?"

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Mine apparently arrived today. hooray!

Originally Posted by Red Fel, on quest rewards

"Is a stack of ten pancakes too many pancakes to give to the party, even if most of them fell on the floor and one or two were stepped on? I wanted to give my party pancakes as a reward but I'm unsure if it's too much. The pancakes are also laced with blowfish poison so the party would have to get an antitoxin before they could eat the ones which weren't pulverized by shoes."

I don't think anyone would want those pancakes even if you paid them to eat them.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

I tried to make this clear in earlier posts, but if your order contains the OOTS game or expansion, it will not ship until the games arrive in 2-3 weeks.

I'm still getting a ton of emails each day from people asking when their order is going to ship, and the order almost always contains an OOTS game.

I guess the emails are probably not from people reading this forum.

Huh. I've been reading this thread religiously, and read the forums 5-6 days a week, for any news of an update, and this wasn't clear to me at ALL. Maybe I missed an official post somewhere in this thread :/ Does anyone happen to have a link to the post I missed?

This does make me sad, though. I was so excited that pre-orders were just about done shipping and I would soon get my book (a friend of mine had her book on August 6th and I've been carefully avoiding finding out any spoilers about it, it's annoying). Apparently I have to wait a few more weeks because I ordered the boardgame expansion, too.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Well, my book isn't here yet, and I'm leaving at 4 tomorrow morning, so even though my book will almost certainly arrive while I'm gone I won't be able to read it until I get back next Wednesday . I do hope this book is awesome enough to make the wait worth it.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Originally Posted by factotum

What comedy of errors? There have been precisely two problems that I can recall: firstly, having to change the printer causing the initial long delay in the book's release, and secondly, the shipping manager getting ill and having to go to hospital, causing delays in the shipping process. Call me Mr. Picky if you will, but I don't think either of those things is entirely under the control of Ookoodook.

I never said it was under their control, and the later posters (ex: 315,316,322,323) have added to your list of "two". Theres a few other things that havent been mentioned as well.

Again, I understand that stuff happens, and I dont think its anyones "fault" I just want some confirmation its not going to happen again to those of us with "complicated" orders.

A simple "all pre-orders with extra stuff have been set aside separate from the current stock" email send to everyone affected (not a messageboard post) would ease alot of minds, and would probably lessen the inquiries by alot.

I think Vorynn's post a few post above this one sums it up nicely: "Did i miss something? Was I left out?"

And, from the flip side of the coin, I think , in this economy, a business that has a ton of emails inquiring about products would be a good thing. Likewise, Id think that the "complicated" orders would be a nice thing to have.

Re: Dragon Tales and OOTS Game Status

Hmmm. Let me vent my spleen a tiny bit here. I had a "simple" order, and one made fairly early in the ordering cycle. Mar 15, 2011, Order #7733, book only. No add on games, no t-shirts, no coffee mugs, just the book. I have since received one email from ookoodook, on 15 Aug 2011, asking to confirm my mailing address. Nothing since then.

Am I upset? Nah, not at all. What I am is a little jealous, as there are four pages of juicy chat with occasional comments by the Giant himself sprinkled in, and I can't really join since I dont want to spoil it for myself.

Somebody has to be last, that's the nature of a queue. You just never want it to be you.

Will I buy future products? Probably. From ookoodook? Probably not, unless it's another exclusive product. I ordered early in the ordering cycle, and sort of expected to receive my product early in the shipping cycle. Especially since it was a "simple" order.

(Now that I've posted this, I'll get an email from ookoodook confirming shipment. Ain't that always the way?)